Sterling truck cruises to car show spotlight

"Out of the Blue" has won 30+ awards

For the better half of the past decade, a striking blue and white truck has turned heads and made dozens of appearances at car shows across western America. A dazzling chrome covers everything under the hood, which is encased in a spotless, sparkling frame.

The 1972 Chevy Custom 10/Deluxe - fittingly named "Out of the Blue" -- has picked up more than 30 awards, most recently for "Best Overall Truck" at the prestigious 64th annual Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, Calif.

But like many great things, the truck has humble beginnings far removed from the glitz and glamour of fame: "Out of the Blue" was once a not-so-spectacular work truck for Warren Oil Company in Sterling.

"There wasn't a flat spot on it," said Jim Warren, former Sterling resident and current truck owner, referring to the nicks and dents the show winner sustained. "I bought it brand new for $1,500, and it was a work truck. When it was 30 below, it was the one out starting the other trucks."

While many people can take credit for making the truck into what it is today, Warren can take responsibility for the push.

The retired teacher, golf coach and NCAA wrestling referee's passion for cars started in the 1950s. His mother owned a 1954 Chevy, a car he said was the fastest car in Sterling. He drag raced it until he crashed into a half dozen pigs that were crossing the road.

Warren later switched to building cars, graduated from Northeastern Junior College in 1962 and University of Northern Colorado in 1964, and moved to southern California to teach. His parents, Clinton and Della "Babe" Warren, purchased the car while Warren was away.

It would eventually outlast Warren Oil by a decade, gaining 104,000 miles by 1990.

Warren wouldn't decide to do the restoration for another 13 years, when the job was given to Don Albrandt and Ralph Williams of L.H.

"Out of the Blue," in the middle of the touch-up process in 2003. (Courtesy photo)

& M Garage in Sterling. It took two years to get all the dings and scratches out, though it kept almost all of its original parts.

Warren said one of the biggest decisions was finding the right color. He wanted to keep the white streak down the middle, but the original primary color was a faded, pastel sky blue.

A friend told him all he needed to do to find a color was go home and look at his wardrobe. He did, found his favorite color, and a few thousand dollars later the car had an award-winning look, a sponsor (Meguiar's) and a namesake that stuck. ("Out of the blue" was the name of the color used in the 2002 Cadillac Escalade series, which the truck adopted).

"Blue Tease" a 1932 Ford (left) and "Out of the Blue," a 1972 Chevrolet Custom 10/Deluxe, sit side by side in their fully restored glory.
(Courtesy photo)

A second car Warren would later see restored -- a 1932 Ford, which has won the Grand National Roadshow three times -- adopted the same color. He called it "Blue Tease," which was a throwback to his experience as a golf coach (think "tees"). Their transport vehicle: The Blue Hauler.

The color and the care taken on his cars has brought them a long way. But Warren said he does it for the experience and as a hobby, not for the money.

When a person buys an antique car for show, they can expect to put about $50,000 of work into it.

What happens to that money?

"You just lose it! It's worth about 50 cents on the dollar," Warren said. "It's a hobby, but it's an expensive hobby."

"Out of the Blue" and "Blue Tease" have both come back to Sterling at times, and are part of Colorado Flatlanders.

In all of the shows Warren's been to, he still thinks the quality of vehicles he's seen on Colorado's Eastern Plains compares to -- or sometimes exceeds -- the quality of vehicles shown in California.

The difference is, here it's about "wanting something to take to coffee in the morning."

"It's the cars that kind of get us together," said Roger Brungardt, a Sterling native who helped stage the car. "Then it's the friends who bring us back."

He delivered it to Warren in California in 2005 after meeting him through Colorado Flatlanders.

While Warren said he'll continue to go to shows, he's keeping "Out of the Blue" in storage for a while. He doesn't want to have too much of a good thing.

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